


What now?

by roadsoftrial



Series: Grace Under Pressure [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Abandonment Issues, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, M/M, Prompto Is Sad, World of Ruin, kind of?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2019-01-04 23:59:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12179025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roadsoftrial/pseuds/roadsoftrial
Summary: Prompto, Ignis and Gladiolus have nothing left to do but wait. No one wants to broach the subject, but Prompto can't stop worrying about it.





	What now?

What now?

  
The question lingers on Prompto's mind throughout the impossibly quiet ride back to Cape Caem. The few short-term goals they've had from Gralea up until now have managed to let him forget for a moment that the answers to "What next?" are less and less precise, less and less frequent. There are other things they could talk about, of course, but they aren't topics any of them wants to address, too heavy, too loaded.  
So Prompto and Gladiolus trade places behind the wheel of the pickup truck they managed to break into while Ignis rides shotgun, deep in thoughts. Prompto occasionally brush hesitant fingers against his thigh, his arm, his hair, which sometimes result in a faint smile at the corner of Ignis’ lips, almost imperceptible. It isn’t much, but it gives Prompto strength, if only for a moment.

  
He hasn’t slept peacefully in days. The others probably haven’t, either. They’re all dealing with their own demons, though Prompto wishes his didn’t look like himself, didn’t look like his best friend seconds before he pushes him to his death, didn’t look like restraints in an isolated room. Ignis is almost always ready for him when he gasps and cries himself awake. Knowing this should comfort him, but he can’t help seeing the darker picture, can’t help the guilt.

  
After what feels like days of travelling, they stop at a haven, set up camp for the night, which lasts longer and longer each passing day. Ignis doesn’t have the heart to cook, and none of them really feel like eating anyway. So they snack on whatever’s available and wait for sleep to find them.  
They can’t go on like this, Prompto thinks. They’ll have to talk about it eventually. They’ll have to talk, and fight, and break things if need be, and they’ll need to plan and… they’ll have to talk about Noctis. It hasn’t happened yet, not since bringing the crystal to that island near Galdin Quay, but even then, the words were shallow, stuck in the present. Prompto wants to talk about him the most, but doesn’t know how or what to say. He doesn’t want to rub it in, doesn’t want to anger Gladio again, doesn’t want to hurt Ignis. He doesn’t want to cry anymore, but he feels he’s letting Noctis down.

  
Once Gladiolus retires to the tent for the night, Prompto can’t keep quiet anymore. Gladio might lose his cool with him, but Ignis, _his_ Ignis, won’t.  
'Iggy?' His voice is hoarse, breaks a little.  
Ignis turns his head towards him.  
'Yes?'  
He hesitates, not sure what he really wants to ask, not sure he is ready for whatever the answer will be.  
'What... what's happening now?  
'We're headed to Cape Caem to meet with Iris,' he says, his expression ever so impassive.  
Prompto has half a mind to call out his pretend obliviousness, but decides against it, saves his strength for the real fights, for the conversations that will need it.  
'I mean, what do we do next?'  
'Then, I suppose we...'  
He pauses, hesitates.  
'...we can think of a plan of attack once we reach our destination.'  
Prompto smiles meekly, sighs. Ignis has been trying so hard to keep it together for Prompto's and Gladiolus' sakes, to appear on top of things—and he has been, for the most part. But he's running out of steam. He doesn't know what to do with himself either, Prompto is starting to realize. He shouldn’t have expected him to, either.

He gets up from his chair, sits on the ground, his knees against his chest, facing Ignis. He doesn't want Gladio to hear him, though he supposes it wouldn’t really change anything.  
'Do you think Gladio will leave us to stay with Iris?' he whispers.  
'It's very likely.'  
Prompto nods to himself. It shouldn't bother him, yet it does. He isn't ready for things to change, for things to be over. And they’re not, but they sure feel like they are. He rubs his watery eyes, sniffles. He prays Ignis hasn't heard, but of course he has.  
'Prompto, are you crying? What's the matter?'  
'Ah, it's nothing, really,' he tries to answer, his throat tight.  
Ignis leans forward in his chair, moves a tentative hand towards Prompto. When he reaches his face, he wipes the tears under Prompto's eye with his thumb, then tangles his fingers in the blond locks. Prompto shivers, feels his face becoming warm, not just from the tears. He leans in the touch. He's missed this. He hadn't realized until this very moment. He’s thankful for this short rest amidst the frantic rate at which everything has been happening of late, though he shouldn’t have the right to be.  
'I... don't know what to do... Where do I even go from here?' he whispers. Ignis brushes his burning cheek, doesn't answer. Because he doesn't know either. Because there's nothing to know, nothing to do.

Slowly, Ignis' fingers trail Prompto's cheek, along the slow roll of his tears, down his neck and shoulder, all the way down his arm until he reaches a shaky hand. He holds it, squeezes a little longer, a little harder than he normally would. He gets on his feet, lets Prompto guide him, sits on the ground next to him, light, almost shy. He slides an arm around the younger man's shoulders and waits for him to come closer, until their bodies are pressed together, like they have on so many nights before this one, after the other two had gone to sleep. Before, when everything was easy. Prompto's head easily finds Ignis' neck, like they were always meant to fit into each other. Prompto tangles his arms around Ignis' waist and all but collapses into the body against him. Ignis combs the blond strands of hair behind Prompto's ear, rubs his other hand against his back, a soft, loving touch. Quiet sobs escape Prompto's mouth, muffled by Ignis' shirt as he holds him tighter and presses kisses on the top of his head, his forehead, his cheeks, the corner of his lips.

Prompto's tears soon dry up, but he doesn't want to move, doesn’t want time to go on. He wants to stay here, in Ignis’ arms, until everything fixes itself.  
He should be better than this, shouldn’t make Ignis worry about him on top of everything else. He should be stronger, but finds it hard when there’s nothing ahead but darkness and uncertainty, when the only thing left to do is wait for something, anything to happen.  
‘Iggy?’ he finally asks in a little more than a whisper.  
‘Yes Prompto?’  
‘…please don’t leave me alone.’  
He’s not sure why he’s even saying that. Ignis probably won’t leave him. Ignis loves him, he’s said so before. But a voice always lingers deep inside of him, trying to convince him that the only reason Gladio and Ignis put up with him in the first place was Noctis. And Noctis isn’t here anymore, and…  
Ignis tightens his grip around Prompto’s shoulders.  
‘I will not leave you, Prompto.’  
Prompto sighs in relief. Ignis loves him, he’s said so before, and will continue to say so as long as he means it, because Ignis doesn’t lie to him. Maybe it won’t be forever, maybe Ignis will get sick of him as people usually do. But for now, just for now, he believes him.

  
He doesn’t know everything that’s to come, but he knows it will be hard. He knows Gladio will leave to be with his sister, and that will be hard. He knows they’ll have to talk about the daemons and the darkness, and that will be hard too. He knows he’ll have to talk about Ardyn, and what he did to him, and he doesn’t want to, but will have to so he can heal. He knows he’ll have to keep Ignis from overdoing it, from trying, and failing, to do everything as he always has, as if he didn’t need to learn some things all over, despite his hurt pride. He knows Ignis doesn’t want to, but will have to so he can move on.

  
He knows they’ll have to talk about Noctis. And that will be the hardest.

  
But at least they’ll have each other, at least they can be together, if only for a while.

 

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic, please don't hurt me!
> 
> I kept thinking about what must've gone through the bro's head once they had done everything they could for Noctis and just had to wait for him to come back. So this happened.  
> I frankly have no idea if it's any good, but I'm tired of looking at it :/
> 
> Feel free to share your thoughts!


End file.
